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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198991">Slow Down</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audae/pseuds/Audae'>Audae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Noster amor mollis [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But My coffee addicted brain said no, Ever - Freeform, Fluff, I swear, M/M, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Overprotective Adam, Worried Adam, slight angst, this was supposed to be sad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:20:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audae/pseuds/Audae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hey, Adam?” Lucas muttered, his eyes growing heavy. </p><p>“Should I move? Is your leg hurting again?” </p><p>Lucas let out a chuckle. </p><p>“No. It’s just I realized that I never gave you a reply.” </p><p>“Reply?” Adam asked.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Detective/Adam du Mortain, Male Detective/Adam du Mortain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Noster amor mollis [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030653</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Slow Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello y'all this is my first Fanfic and after I've gathered enough courage for almost 5 years now I've decided to actually write something.</p><p>This was supposed to be a heavy angst with my detective Lucas being aged up to like 50 years old and Adam having a lowkey but also highkey crisis because he doesn't have much time left with Lucas hence the title "Slow Down" with a second chapter showing how he copes with Lucas' death but for some reason it became fluffy and corny and a mess and I don't know why. </p><p>Sooo hope you guys enjoy it.</p><p>(Also I apologize for the ((many)) spelling and grammar mistakes but we take those)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The slight buzz of the ac accompanied by the rhythmic sound of a page being turned accompanied Lucas as he laid in bed, feet in pain and still very much broken after an incident with a hardheaded robber just this morning. Both Tina and Verda already visited him earlier, which can be seen by the multiple ‘Get well soon!’ balloons littered around the room and a half-eaten cake on his bedside table, courtesy of Tina, of course.   </p><p>“I tried to stop her, I swear. There would’ve been more balloons and a clown if I didn’t intervene” the detective remembers Verda saying.  </p><p>“He has a broken leg! I knew I should’ve gotten a bouncy castle too.” Tina replied, her smile never leaving her face as she teased the doctor. Verde opened his mouth to utter a response, but they were quickly ushered out by a nurse for causing too much noise, but not without Tina yelling one last ‘Eat your vegetables!’ as they were comically dragged out of the room. </p><p>The memory made the detective chuckle as he forgot about his predicament for a while. He made a mental note to buy Tina those overly sweet donuts she loves and to give Verda some interesting cases from the facility once he gets out of this place. They deserved it. </p><p>As he was about to lay down, the door suddenly opened, and a figure quickly entered before immediately closing it shut like they’re hiding from someone. ‘Haven’t they heard of knocking?’ Lucas thought to himself. He was about to call up to them when the figure faced the bed and his jaw quite literally dropped.  </p><p>“What?” Mason told the detective, his signature scowl plastered on his face.  </p><p>“O-oh, it’s nothing. I’m just surprised is all.” Lucas quickly backtracked, still surprised by the vampire’s sudden appearance.  </p><p>Mason’s brow furrowed further before letting out a breath and quickly tossing the detective something from his pockets.  Lucas, wholly unprepared, let it hit his head with a small thud. Upon further inspection, the object in question appeared to be.... a chocolate bar? Raising an eyebrow as he looked back at mason for an explanation, with his only response being “People say it helps with recovery. And he mentioned once that you like that stuff”. Before Lucas could mutter a quick thank you or ask who ‘he’ was, Mason was already gone, leaving him alone in the room once more. ‘How does he even do that?’ Lucas asked himself, before immediately dismissing it at one of the numerous vampire perks. Thinking back to what Mason just said, the detective already had an idea who the mystery person is. Still staring at the position where his previous visitor had been, the detective only noticed how Mason didn’t reach for a box of cigar. Looking outside the windows, Lucas also noticed how the sun is still up and the sound of civilization is still at full volume. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be too harsh with Mason’s smoking habits in the future.’ he thought with a grin on his face. </p><p>Devouring the chocolate from Mason with gusto, the detective lost track of time when all the sudden, a muffled voice of two people arguing can be heard right outside the door. It took them a while to settle down before a knock signaled another visitor, or visitors. ‘At least they know how doors work, unlike a certain someone.’ </p><p>“Come in.” Lucas’ voice called up to them. At first, nothing seemed to happen, and everything was quiet. Then suddenly, the door was slammed open and an eager Felix rushed inside, almost toppling everything over as he was followed by a less eager Nate.  </p><p>“Hey detective! Hope you’re doing great. I know it’s boring being stuck in the hospital and trust me, I know the feeling all too well. You see, I always end up in a room like this almost every other day when I was starting out so that's why Nate and I decided to go ahead and visit you.” Felix was already monologuing long before Lucas can utter a word, completely swallowing up the silence.  </p><p>Looking at Nate, he just gave the detective a defeated sigh before dragging Felix away from the bed. “Just like what Felix is saying, we’ve decided to give you a visit, but Felix here is too eager to see you, or should I say, too eager to ditch patrol.” Nate give the younger vampire a stern look while Felix coincidentally found a great spot to stare at, away from Nate’s gaze. </p><p>“But it looks like we were already late to the party” Nate continued as he stared at the balloons. “No fair! You didn’t even invite us. But I know a way you can make it up to me.” Felix added with a pout, his hands already reaching towards the unfinished cake, but immediately stopping once Nate gave him another look. </p><p>“Yeah, even Mason decided to visit me earlier.” That seemed to stop both at their tracks as they looked at the detective’s face for any sign that he’s joking. “Don’t stare at me like that, even I was surprised when he came in. He even got me chocolate.” Felix was still staring at Lucas’ face while a smile formed in Nate’s. </p><p>“W-what? Are we talking about the same Mason here? Big guy, grumpy face, like-he-has-never-had-a-good-memory-in-his-life maso-” Felix was grabbed at the collar by Nate, interrupting him before he can finish his sentence. “Well I think it was pretty nice of Mason to come and visit the detective and we shouldn’t overstay our welcome since Lucas is still recovering.” The older vampire gave Felix a challenging look.  </p><p>“Well, it was nice seeing you detective but unfortunately we still have that patrol to do. See you when you’re feeling better. Just give us a call when-” </p><p>“Us? You mean him.” Felix interrupted, finally escaping Nate’s grip. “Speaking of him, has he visited you yet?” he continued to ask Lucas.  </p><p>“I’m sure he’s pretty busy, being the leader and all that.” Lucas answered with a shrug. </p><p>“Too busy? Even for you? I bet if he had it his way the reason why you’re not able to stand is-” Nate’s hand suddenly covers the very-much-dead vampire’s mouth, judging by the look he is receiving. </p><p>“As I was saying. We really need to go back and continue our patrol and maybe a lesson for common decency is needed. Right Felix? Yes, we do.” Not waiting for a reply, the vampire duo walked out of the room, or Nate dragged the poor helpless soul outside, to be more precise.  </p><p>With a huff, Lucas let his head drop to the ever-welcome embrace of the pillows. ‘Aren’t injured people supposed to rest?’ he muttered to himself, ‘But they did make everything feel better.’ his lips involuntarily rising. Now alone in his room, he is suddenly reminded by the constant pain of his leg as it gnawed at his consciousness. His energy drained from all the visits and one last thought surfaced in his head at his last conscious moment.  </p><p>‘I wonder what Adam is doing.’ </p><p>Lucas woke up to the same buzz of the ac. It’s late at night, or very early considering how dark it is outside. His room was also pitch black except for the soft glow of the moonlight and the light shining from under the door. ‘Wait, speaking of the light...’ he rubbed his eyes clear and looked closer. There’s definitely a shadow there. It’s too late for a nurse to come and check up on him and he’s sure it’s past visiting hours. With his danger sense on full alert, the detective slowly reached for a taser from the drawer in his bedside table, hidden underneath multiple file reports that he was reading earlier. He doubts the hospital will approve of him bringing a taser, but one can’t be too careful, like right now.  </p><p>‘Knock knock’ Two soft knocks were made, barely audible even at the dead of night, confusing Lucas. ‘What kind of intruder knocks on their victim’s door?’ he thought, taking a second to compose himself before answering,“Hello?” his voice also dropping to form a whisper. </p><p>The door slowly opened, and Lucas readies his aim. The light of the hallway completely overshadowed the features of the figure, but Lucas already knows who it is without seeing their face, almost too well. </p><p>“Adam?” the detective asked in a hushed tone, “What are you doing here?!” his voice slightly raising, ignoring the tinge of happiness he felt when recognized Adam. </p><p>The vampire in question closed the door behind him, ignoring the detective’s demands and instead looked at the taser with a raised eyebrow, then to the detective, then back at the taser, as if waiting for an explanation.  </p><p>“The taser stays on until after the explanation.” A smile forming at the edge of his lips. Suddenly they were back to their first meeting and he can’t help it but to reminisce.  </p><p>Still staring at the detective, Adam gave a defeated sigh, knowing Lucas won’t stop anytime soon if he doesn’t do anything about it. “You’re being childish.” </p><p>“That didn’t answer my question.”  </p><p>“Fine. I was looking to see if you were up.” Adam replied, his tone filled with frustration. </p><p>“By knocking on my door repeatedly,” Now it’s the detective’s turn to look at Adam with a questioning look, “Anyone would wake up to that.” he finished, putting the taser down. </p><p>Adam rubbed his temple, his annoyance radiating in waves. “I didn’t knock on your door repeatedly.” </p><p>“Now you’re just not making any sense. How would you know-” Lucas suddenly stopped talking when something popped into his mind. “Were you outside, waiting for me to wake up before knocking?” When his accusation was met with silence, he couldn’t stop his laughter from coming out. </p><p>“Stop laughing it’s the middle of the night.” Adam demanded, but it only made everything worse.  </p><p>“I-I’m sorry it’s just that the idea of you staring at the door and just waiting. Pfft” After a solid minute of trying to calm himself down and failing, Lucas finally stopped. “You know you could’ve just entered right? I wouldn’t mind.” </p><p>“That would be... inappropriate” </p><p>Dismissing the vampire’s problem with a wave of his hand, Lucas reached for the chair near his bed. “Why are you still standing? Come here and sit- Fuck!” He winced in pain. </p><p>Adam, suddenly beside him, took the chair away from his hands and helped him lay back down. The sudden skin to skin contact sent an unvoluntary shiver down Lucas’ spine. And by the looks it, Adam was affected as well. </p><p>“You need to be more careful. I’d like to remind you that you have a broken leg.” Brows stitched together with worry, and his eyes filled with panic as he scanned over Lucas’ body, looking to see if everything is alright. The tenderness in his voice will be Lucas’ undoing. It was rare sight to see this side of Adam and Lucas considers himself lucky enough to be a part of the few who gets to experience it.  </p><p>Reaching out to touch his hand, the detective faced him with a smile. “Adam, look at me.” When he didn’t say anything, Lucas took his other arm, and placed it on the side of Adam’s face, gently directing his eyes to meet his own.  </p><p>“Hey, I’m alright. I will be alright. Okay?” Finally calming down, Adam gave a nod and moved Lucas’ hand closer to his lips, murmuring a quick ‘I know.’ making the detective smile, his heart letting out a contented sigh.  </p><p>Lucas scooted over to make space in the bed, Adam quickly following and carefully laying down beside him at the opposite side of the still broken leg. Now face to face, Lucas explored his lover’s cheek with his thumb. He has no need for a map or to open his eyes because they spent enough time memorizing one another. Everything is familiar when they’re together and both wouldn’t have it any other way.  </p><p>They spent their remaining hours together like this. Hand in hand while Lucas tells him a story about how his day went. He told Adam how he was surprised when Mason decided to visit, earning him a skeptical look. Lucas told him about Nate and Felix, about Tina and Verda. He told Adam about how he was looking forward for his visit, Adam moving closer in response.  </p><p>Lucas knows that Adam isn’t someone who can speak endlessly like Felix or Tina. He knows that Adam is not used to acts of affections most of the time. But he knows that Adam has other ways of showing how much he cares for him. The little secret gazes they share during missions and the way their eyes gravitate to one another when entering a room. Lastly, He knows that what they have is enough. There are times where things are especially rough, but it’s the moments like this that makes it all worth it in the end. </p><p>“Hey, Adam?” Lucas muttered, his eyes growing heavy. </p><p>“Should I move? Is your leg hurting again?” </p><p>Lucas let out a chuckle. </p><p>“No. It’s just I realized that I never gave you a reply.” </p><p>“Reply?” Adam asked. </p><p>‘Tu quoque’ Lucas whispered; he doubts Adam heard it, but he doesn’t remember Adam smiling like that before. Maybe he’s already in a dream.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Uhm chile anyways-</p></blockquote></div></div>
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